Well, now that I’ve added aisleways to my layout and the tops are all back on the benchwork, I’ve been second-guessing if I should put back the ole Lionel tubular track with vinyl bed underneath. It was all I knew way back when and all my train store carried–as a matter-of-fact, it’s STILL all they carry in stock!
With Elliot’s help in opening my eyes to other manufacturers, I have have picked up a copy of MTH’s and K-Line’s catalogs. It seems that MTH’s RealTrax is nothing more than Lionel’s FasTrack and that is too loud sounding for me.
MTH’s other track gives me more options, but how would I power it with all my Lionel equipment such as the TPC 400 and 180 powerhouses?
Then there’s K-line. There doesn’t seem to be anything with their line that I don’t already own with Lionel.
I know of Gargraves and Atlas, but you have to order the track. Hmmmm, no idea what to do. I’m SOOOOOOOOO confused![:(]
I’m not sure why MTH scale trax would be hard to wire with TMCC. As long as you jumper the grounds where necessary, it shouldn’t be a problem. Someone correct me if I’m wrong but I understand scale trax is more difficult to get than Atlas.
Atlas is good track if realism and ease of assembly is what you’re after. I’ve worked with it and think it’s great stuff. I’ve worked with Gargraves to and found it to be one of the more difficult systems to work with.
I would not let having to order Atlas steer you away. Considering the amount of time and effort you’re putting in to this and that you’ll have to live with the layout for a long time. Most dealers ship within a matter of days.
The old style tubular track is probably least expensive and if you’re comfortable working with it, or have a bunch already, consider putting balsa or precut rubber ties under it. It doesn’t look half bad. I just wish Lionel made better switches. K-line tubular switches work better from what I’ve heard.
What I would do is buy a few samples of what interests you and lay it and detail it on display boards. That way you get a better feel and can later use the display boards around the house or office or something.
Well, it’s not so much the way the track LOOKS as it is what it can DO. I have a toy train layout, not hi rail so looks mean little to me.
Lionel has no choices for wyes and spurs and sidings, and crossovers, and, and, and…But I suppose since I have about a thousand bucks into Lionel track, I may want to stay with it. It’s just so constrictive I thought I may want to change.
I’ve seen the K-line track with plastic ties past weekend and to my opinion the ties are much too small and they are much too close to one another… It did look like h0 ties to me. Of course the track is smaller and more elegant as tubular, but it’s just the other way round, too small, too delicate to seem real.
To my own opinion, toy trains need toytrain track, so tubular rail.
I have the Lionel – K-Line 027 tube track with the new K-Line low profile turnouts. I also added the rubber ties. Then I added the kitty littler. Check out my web page by clicking on the icon.
If was happened to fall down and hit my head and decided to redo my track, I would either use Gargraves or K-Line shadow rail (both being tube track).
The MTH RealTrax is different from Lionel as it is solid rails and Lionel is not.
I think that Atlas and Gargraves offer the best track because it comes in sectional pieces and has a lot of variety of turnouts.
However, I also like tube rail; specifically 027. It is a lot less expensive and looks more traditional and gives a nice art deco look; without trying to mask the middle rail. It also can be made to flex if you remove the ties, bend the rails, then place the metal ties back on or use your own wood ties.
The downside is the turnouts, which burn out if you park on them. The solution would be to redesign so power is separate or make your own turnouts.
Although we have a lot of track to choose from, none are really perfect. Either the price is too high or it’s crappy switches to contend with. You just have to weigh the pros and cons. If you already are buying $1K locomotives, then it’s a no-brainer: Atlas or Gargraves. If you are on a budget, the K-Line, Lionel, or Williams track makes more sense.
If you are carpet running, then Realtrax or Fasttrax.
While it’s true that you can’t get a true “Y” shaped turnout in traditional Lionel O-31 style tubular track, you do have two options available to you:
Just use three traditional turnouts to construct a Wye
Use Ross switches with your tubular rail.
While I’ve never done it, I understand that the Ross switches can easily be inserted into a layout of O-31 tubular rail & will work fine. You may want to add ties to the tubular rail to make everything look more consistent, but that’s up to you.
Personally, I have about $350 in Lionel tubular track, including 4 022 switches (the bulk of the track cost at the time I bought it), but none of it will make it to the layout I’m planning to build next year. That will be all Gargraves flex track & Ross switches.
It’s all O31 and I’ll need it until the new layout can operate trains. That would be sometime late next year, at the earliest. Unless I win the lottery or get on Super Millionaire & win big.
Thanks guys! As usual, you’ve been very helpful. I am going to stay with my grand’s worth of Lionel, and just do what it can do. I never thought about taking the ties off and bending the rails David. Good idea.
This is a good topic. I guess the choice of track depends on the type of layout you have and how much money one wants to spend. No question that Atlas and Ross trackage looks great if you’re building a high rail layout. But if you’re after that classic toy train look I guess tubular O or O27 is the way to go.
Maybe we have to many choices today, it makes it hard to decide which track to use. I’ll bet just about everyone has examples of many track brands. I recently ordered a Lionel set so now I’ll have some of their new Fasttrack, I think I’ll use it on the floor during the Holidays.
I’m going to build a retro layout based on a plan in CTT with O27. I’ve got a good amount of the track I need. I’m going to try some K-line switches, after reading Tom’s positive comments. The prices for them seem pretty reasonable.
I agree on tubular. If he’s building a toy layout, it’s probably the way to go. He can hack and cut switches and crossings to get greater flexibility if he’s careful. Plus K-Line keeps coming out with more switch styles.
Don’t you mean to say MTH Scaletrax.? Realtrax is a cross between toy and scale with its plastic roadbed and funny spaced ties. Plus Realtrax is difficult to cut and fit. Scaletrax appears to be something you can cut and fit and much more realistic looking (like Atlas).
Looking seriously at K-Line Shadow Rail. Got some old [middle 80’s] K-Line that the outer rails rusted but inner did not. A little “buffing” adn they cleaned right up. The Lionel track did not rust. After I build this one, hope I do not have to store it almost 20 years.
All the feedback I’ve ever gotten indicates that Ross switches perform exceptionally well. Others have called them “the best available.” I haven’t got any so I can’t confirm or deny that claim. However, if they only turn out to be half as good as I’ve heard, they’ll be many times better than the 022 switches I’m using now.
Ross switches use wood ties & Gargraves style rail. I believe the Gargraves rails are similar in cross-section to Super O rail. That is, they’re hollow, like tubular, but shaped more like real rails are in cross-section. This & the wood ties are good enough for me.
I have a number of pieces of Super O that I inhertited from my dad. It’s only enough to make 1.5 circles plus a bunch of straights. No switches. If Super O was still being made, in multiple radii & with different switch types (Numbered, as well as curved, etc.) I’d go with that. But the Ross / Gargraves combination is the closest that’s available, to me, and that’s what I’m going with.
I’m right in the middle of designing my layout with RRTrack and I’ve agonized over track systems but I keep coming back to 031 Lionel/K-line tubular. The main advantage being cost, local availability, and the availability of high quality, used turnouts. 027 is also a serious possibility for me, especially with the new K-line low profile 027 turnouts. A major factor in my case is that I’ve already acquired 10 nice 022 turnouts. Another was the possibility that I’d want to reuse the track on a future layout. Perhaps one can “unbend” Gargraves flextrack, but I’m sure it’s a lot less fun than bending it in the first place.
It’s very helpful to play with the various systems on the computer before you start laying track. Once you start getting a feel for the geometry of the various track systems, and you start cutting tubular track, you’ll find you can do almost anything with it. All the major systems can be adapted to each other with varying degrees of difficulty. The more expensive systems bring more convenience and a more convincing “hi-rail” look.
One thing K-line has that Lionel doesn’t is an 042 turnout in 031 profile track. Or they will soon, the website says Fall 04. K-L still sells 072 straights, which are 14.4 inches long. I guess Lionel used to have these?) K-L’s 072 curves would appear to be subtlety different than Lionel’s (Yikes) and K-L’s “long” straights are 36" not 40."
After many years of Lionel and K Line tubular track on rubber roadbed, I just built my new layout using Atlas and Midwest roadbed. It is soooooo much quieter. I can now hear all of the railsounds, and I have it screwed down to 3/4" plywood. The 072 switches are much smoother and it operates flawless. the outside rails are insulated
so, accessories are much easier to install. I operate a total command layout and have experienced no problems so far. I am glad I finally made the switch.
I don’t think anyone has brought this up yet: Are you going to be running anything with magnetraction? If so, you will want to stick with steel rails.
As far as Realtrax goes, I have accumulated quite a bit of it, and it works quite well. I don’t know about the noise issue, as I run it on shag carpeting or outside on the grass. It has non-magnetic rail.
